Crate-layer.



H. 1. BROWN.

CRATE LAYER. APPLICATION FILED MAR-131 I916.

Patented June 13, 1916.

TH! UOLUMHIA PuNoakAPli C0. WASHINGTON. D. c.

To all whom it may concern:

UNITED sTArEs PATENT ornrcnj HOWARD J'. BROWN, OF MARSEILLES, ILLINOIS, 'AS SIGNOR TO HOWE AND DAVIDSON COMPANY, vOlE MARSEILLES, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CRATE-LAYER.

Applicationfiled March 13, 1916.- Serial No. 83,739.

' Be it known that I, HOWARD J. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Marseilles, in the county of La Salle and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Crate- Layers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the reference characters marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. I

This invention relates to improvements in crate layers, adapted for use in the packing of biscuits, crackers, or like articles of a fragile nature, and placed within the cartonsv or containers for the purpose of sepa- 7 rating the layers of the contents of the containers and for otherwise preventing the damaging or breakage of the same in the handling or shipment of the packed containers.

One form of a crate layer embodying the features of my invention consists, or is built up, of a plurality of partition or crate strips arranged in series extending at right angles to each other and having interlocking connection with one another at the several points of intersection, the completed crate layer being rectangular in form and providing a series of compartments separated by the several strips.

- The invention relates particularly to the manner in which the strips are made, and further to a novel method employed in forming the locking notches in the margins of the strips, whereby the several strips are connected in interlocking relation to form the completed crate layer. The locking notches ordinarily provided in the crate strips are substantially equal in width to the thickness of the strip, and therefore are so narrow as to make the operation of removing the trim from the notches, after the same has been severed, exceedingly difficult, inasmuch as the trim has not suflieien'tbody to be effectively and completely severed so that it can easily be removed and without undue expenditure of time and labor. 7

In order to facilitate the forming of the strips and the ease of cutting the notches and the removal of the trim? therefrom, it is proposed to form thestrip of two thicknesses or sections of the material to provide Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 13, 1916.

a complementary notch or notches in each section, and to fold the sections so that the complementary notches will form a'locking notch considerably less in width than the complementary notches.

a view in elevation, showing a single strip extended and the complementary notches formed therein; Fig. 3 is a view in perspective showing the manner in which the sections of a strip are folded to form the locking notches; Fig. I is a view in elevation of the strip folded .in final form, show ing the formation of the locking notches from the complementary notches; Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of the modified form of strip, showing the manner of folding the blank; and Fig. 6 is a fragmentaryplan view of a blank, with complementary notches cut therein to form the modified form of strip.

Referring nowto a desirable form of crate layer embodying the features of my invention, the same comprises two pairs of str1ps l0, 10 and 11, 11, arranged at right angles to each other, each pair of strips being parallel and intersecting'the' strips of strip, said notches extending inwardly at right angles to saidmargin a distance substantially equal to one-half thewi'dth of the strip. The locking notches of one pair of strips have interlocking 7 engagement; with the notches of the other pair'of strips, at each point of intersection thepairs of strips being arranged so that the-notches of one pair 10, 10 open upwardly or are located along the upper marginal portion of the strips, and the notches of the other pairof strips 11, 11 open downwardly. or in the opposite direction.

Inasmuch as the strips are identical inv formation, it will suffice to describe the manner in which one of them is made. As

. a preferable construction, the strips are cut 1 tion to each otheras regards their configuration. These notches preferably consist of a series of cuts arranged in the following manner to form the edges of the notch: extending inwardly and perpendicularly or at right angles to the upper longitudinal margin of the strip there is formed an edge 16 having a length substantially equal to one-half the width of the strip. Extending from the inner end of the edge 16 and obliquely to themargin of thestrip and said edge 16, at an angle of substantially is an edge 17, which intersects the perpendicular edge 16 to form the apex of the notch, and diverges from said point, therebyfproviding the no tch, witl1 a comparatively wide or enlarged opening at the margin of the strip. The notch is completed by providing a comparatively short oblique edge 18, extending at an angle of 45 to the margin of the strip and intersecting the edge p 16 a short distance from said margin of the entrance of the completed locking notch, as

strip. The purpose of; the short oblique edge 18 is to provide a portion of the flared will hereinafter appear.

A desirable method employed in the cut ting of the strips and notches consists in cutting from single sheets of the 'material "a plurality of strips having triangular shaped slots formed- (therein and located ,within the, margins of the strip. The

strips are then again'cut along a line passing through andfbisecting'the slots, thus producing narrower strips having the inotches formed along the margins thereof.

In the operation of cutting the slotted strips, the material or trim is but partially severed fromthe, slot, and hence, after narrower notched strips arecut, there are retained within the notches triangular shaped pieces, which tend to adhere to the material of: the strip and particularly at the apex 1of thenotch. To remove the trim, the strips are arranged in piles of a suitable number, and-the trim is removed by hand or by suitable mechanical means, by pressing downwardly upon, or otherwise extract"- ing the trim? from said notches. The operation of removing the trim is accomplished with Very little difliculty, owing to the shape and size of the trim that is to be removed, in that it is sufiiciently large or has suflicient body to permit convenient access thereto by the hand or tool used in removing the same, thus decreasing the time and labor completing the strips preparatory to the final operation of folding the strips. It is, therefore, by reason of the particular shape of notch employed that it is possible to clear the notch of the trim rapidly and easily.

The strip, with the V-shaped notches provided along one edge thereof in the manner described, is now folded lengthwise upon itself along atransverse fold line (Fig. 2), extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal margins of the blank in a manner shown in Fig. 3 and into the position shown in Fig. 4. The fold line 19 is preferably located midway between the end margins of the strip, thereby dividing the same into two sections, each being provided with at least two of the V-shaped notches 14 and 15, which are the complements of the notches 14 and 15 of the other section of the strip. The complementary notches 14, 14, 15, 15 of the two sections of the strip are spaced substantially the same distance from the fold line, although it is to be noted that they are not exactly so, but are off-set longitudinally with respect to said fold line, in order that the perpendicular edges 16, 16 of each pair of complementary notches 14, 14, 15, 15 will be spaced apart or offset laterally from each other, when said notches are brought into close relation upon the folding of the strip. The amount of offset provided determines the space which will separate the perpendicular edges 16, 16 when the strip is folded, and likewise the desired width of the locking notch to be formed by said edges 16, 16. The width of the notch shown in Fig. 4 is considerably narrower'than the complementary notches and, as before suggested, is substantially equal in width to the thickness of the strip. Thus it is apparent that the locking notches I are formed by the edges 16, 16, only, of the complementary notches, and by a single thickness of the strip, inasmuch as the material adjacent to each notch formed is removed in the cutting of said complementary notches. In the same manner the short oblique edges 18, 18 at the upper ends of the perpendicular edges 16, 16 are so positioned after the folding of the strip as to form a tapered or flared entrance or opening 20 (Figs. 1 and 4) to the narrower portion of the notch below.

In Figs. 5 and 6 is shown a modified construction for a strip 21, wherein the same is folded along a longitudinal fold line 22,

which divides the strip into two sections.

The complementary notches 23 and 2A are formed on the longitudinal margins of each section of the strip and on opposite sides ofthe fold line 22. In this modified form of strip the notches are arranged in reverse relation, that is, the oblique edges 25, 25 are located on opposite sides of an imaginary line a drawn parallel to the perpendicular edges 26 and midway between the said lines. Said notches are, furthermore, offset laterally with respect to each other, 'so that the perpendicular edges 25, 25 of the notches 23 and 24 fall on opposite sides of said imaginary line (1, thus when said blank is folded along the fold line 22, as shown in Fig. 6, they will be spaced apart the width of the notch to be formed, in the same manner as in the strip previously described.

A strip made according to either of the forms described and illustrated produces a strip having the same advantageous features of construction, differing only in the manner of folding the same, this difference necessitating a variation in the arrangement of the notches. However, either method provides a strip of a double thickness of material, having its locking notches formed by providing large and conveniently shaped, complementary notches therein, prior to folding the same, said notches being so disposed and related as to prov de a narrow locking notch of the desired width, which could not otherwise be easily and properly formed because of the difficulties attending the cutting and removal of the trim, as hereinbefore set forth. 2

In view of the fact that the features of the invention may be variously modified, without departing from the spiritof the invention, it is evident that the scope of this invention need not be limited to the con struction herein described and illustrated, except as expressly set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention;

1. A crate strip formed of a plurality of sections placed one against the other and provided with complementary notches formed in the corresponding margins thereof, said notches being arranged in offset relation and forming a marginal locking notch narrower in width than said complementary notches.

2. A crate strip formed of a double thickness of sheet material, folded upon itself and provided with complementary notches formed on opposite sides of the line of fold and relatively disposed to form, when said strip is folded, a locking notch narrower in width than said complementary notches.

3. A crate strip formed of a double thickness of sheet material, folded upon itself, complementary V-shaped notches formed in the margins of said strip and disposed on opposite sides of the line of fold and forming a locking notch relatively narrower in width 1 than said complementary notches, when said strip is folded.

4. A crate strip formed of a double thickness of sheet material, folded upon itself, complementary notches formed in the margins of said strip and disposed on opposite sides of said fold line, each notch having complementary edges relatively offset to form a relatively narrow locking notch, when said strip is folded. 5. A crate strip formed of a double thickness of sheet material, folded upon itself, complementary notches formed in the margins of said strip and disposed on opposite sides of said fold line, each notch having an edge perpendicular to said margin and an edge oblique thereto, said perpendicular edges being spaced apart, when said strip is folded, to form a relatively narrow locking notch.

6. A crate strip formed of a double thickness of sheet material, bent upon itself, complementary notches formed in one margin of said strip and disposed on opposite sides of the line of folding, said notches consisting of an edge at right angles to said margin and an edge oblique thereto, said notches being offset laterally from said line of fold to space saidperpendicular edges apart to provide a relatively narrow locking notch, when said strip is folded.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I afi'ix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 2nd day of- March, 1916.

HOWARD J. BROWN.

Witnesses:

L. E. BENTLEY, W. B. DAVIDSON.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

WashingtomILG." 

